There is a selection of bindings on the market. There are two basic designs, a down hill style binding which is mounted on a bar with a hinge at the front or the lightweight Dynafit system which uses fittings which are integral to the boot to clamp the boot to the ski. We will have a look at both systems. Fritschi are a Swiss company that revolutionised ski touring bindings with the Diamir Titanal binding in the 90’s being the first binding that you could step in and out of like a standard ski binding. I think they are still the best all round bindings on the market, there are the Freeride Plus, the Diamir Explore and Diamir Experience.

If you are planning to use your set up for mainly going down hill off the lifts with a bit of touring the Freeride Plus is the one to go for. It has a higher Din setting available and a robust construction suitable for all mountain use, though it is a bit heavier than other models. If your focus is more towards touring then I would look at the Diamir Explore which is 370g lighter. You will need to buy a ski brake as an extra if you go for the Explore. All models use the same clever system for locking the heel down which also acts as a heel raiser when going up hill.

If your main focus is long tours or you are interested in ski mountaineering racing then the Dynafit system (670g) is worth a look. Having used it for the past three seasons I think it is brilliant. The system uses two pins that lock into the boot at the toe, a heel piece then locks the heel to the ski. It takes a bit of getting used to but once you get the hang of it, it is great to skin with and kick turns become smoother as well as being incredibly light. There is a Din setting on the heel but there is no release setting at the toe so it’s not as safe for general skiing as a Fritschi but has worked any time I have crashed. The heel piece rotates to provide a clever heel raiser.

Some people advocate using a system that can clip into a down hill binding like the Alpine Trekker but this is rubbish releasing just when you don’t want it to.